What are the effects of corruption?

The effect of corruption has many dimensions related to political, economic, social and
environmental effects. In political sphere, corruption impedes democracy and the rule of law. In
a democratic system, public institutions and offices may lose their legitimacy when they misuse
their power for private interest. Corruption may also result in negative consequences such as
encoring cynicism and reducing interest of political participation , political instability , reducing
political competition, reducing the transparency of political decision making, distorting political
development and sustaining political activity based on patronage, clientelism and money, etc.
In our society, the impact of corruption is often manifested through political intolerance,
problems of accountability and transparency to the public, low level of democratic culture,
principles of consultation and participation dialogue among others.
The economic effects of corruption can be categorized as minor and major. However, both in one
way or the other have serious impact on the individual community and country. First and
foremost, corruption leads to the depletion of national wealth. It is often responsible for
increased costs of goods and services, the funneling of scarce public resources to uneconomic
high profile projects at the expense of the much needed projects such as schools, hospitals and
roads, or the supply of potable water, diversion and misallocation of resources, conversion of
public wealth to private and personal property, inflation, imbalanced economic development,
weakling work ethics and professionalism, hindrance of the development of fair in market
structures and unhealthy competition there by deterring competition. Large scale corruption hurts
the economy and impoverishes entire population.
In Social sphere, corruption discourages people to work together for the common good.
Frustration and general apathy among the public result in a weak civil society. Demanding and
paying bribes becomes the tradition. It also results in social inequality and widened gap between
the rich and poor, civil strive, increased poverty and lack of basic needs like food, water and
drugs, jealousy and hatred and insecurity.
Closer home, corruption is said to have been factors for the down fall of past regimes byway of
undermining the legitimacy of the governments and weakening their structures, reducing
productivity, hindering development, worsening poverty, marginalizing the poor, creating social
unrest and then to their downfall.

Name : Bhirawa Ananditya

Wicaksana
No

: 07

Class : XII MiA 7